Look into my eyes ..you're not alone

A hypnotist with a new show at the Edinburgh Fringe explains how his strategies to cope with bullies led him to entertainment and why he is working with Sciaf to help others

- BY JENNIFER HYLAND [e-mail]

AN ALBINO mind reader and hypnotist is on a mission to help thousands of others born with the rare genetic condition in Malawi.

Fraser Penman has oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) the most severe form of the condition, which causes a lack of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes as well as severe visual impairment.

Half a world away in southern Malawi, Baison Makolopa also suffers from the condition and both men have faced similar challenges including being bullied and isolated from their communities.

However Fraser, 30, and Baison, 36, have now turned their lives around to live life to the full.

Fraser wants to change the perception of those with albinism through his headline act at the Edinburgh Fringe. He hopes his show, 'PENMAN: The Imaginator - YOU' will act as an inspiration for people with the condition, which affects just one in 20,000 people. He has also teamed up with The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (Sciaf) which, through local partner the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), provides skills training and grants to help people with albinism to earn a living and get out of poverty.